Topline The series premiere of “The Golden Bachelorette,” the latest installment in the Bachelor franchise, aired last week to 2.8 million live viewers, Nielsen data shows, making it the fifth-worst season premiere among ABC’s “The Golden Bachelor,” “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor In Paradise.”
“The Golden Bachelorette” premiered on ABC at 8 p.m. last Wednesday to 2,814,000 live viewers, making it the 21st-most-watched broadcast program of the week after falling behind other reality shows like “Dancing With The Stars,” “America’s Got Talent, “Survivor” and “Big Brother.”
The premiere was the among the least-watched season openers ever for the bevy of shows in the “Bachelor” franchise, beating only the season 20 and season 21 premieres of “The Bachelorette” (1.92 million and 2.8 million viewers, respectively) and seasons eight and nine of “Bachelor in Paradise” (2.6 million and 2.08 million viewers, respectively).
Every season of “The Bachelor” has premiered to a higher audience, and the premiere of “The Golden Bachelor,” the network’s first attempt at a looking-for-love reality show starring people 60 and older, was watched live by 4.3 million people live.
Viewership numbers for “The Golden Bachelorette” do not include any delayed viewing or streams on Hulu, which is where “The Golden Bachelor” found its audience—the premiere last year set a streaming record as ABC’s most-watched unscripted episode ever on Hulu after it racked up 13.9 million viewers in its first 35 days.
ABC and Hulu have not released any viewership data on “The Golden Bachelorette” so far, nor did representatives immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment Wednesday.
“The Golden Bachelor” premiered as a bright spot for the franchise, which has grappled with a declining audience over the last several years. “The Bachelorette” has particularly declined in viewership since longtime host Chris Harrison was cut over controversial comments, and it looked like “Bachelor in Paradise” was dead in the water after a delayed renewal announcement from ABC, but the network did ultimately decide a 10th season will premiere in 2025. Viewership has steadily fallen for “The Bachelorette” since season 12, starring JoJo Fletcher, aired in 2016, and the same was true for “The Bachelor” until this January’s season 28 premiere slightly revived ratings.
Joan Vassos, 61, stars as “The Golden Bachelorette.” Vassos was a contestant on “The Golden Bachelor” but left the show in week three due to a family emergency. The 24 men competing this season range in age from 57 to 69 years old and include an emergency room doctor, retired naval officer and rancher.
